Women's Track & Field

CSUN Right in the Thick of Both Heptathlon, Decathlon at Big West Championships

May 09, 2014

DAVIS, Calif. - Cal State Northridge opened the multi-events portion of the Big West Track & Field Championships Friday and the Matadors are in the thick of both the heptathlon and decathlon after one day of competition at Toomey Field & Woody Wilson Track.

The Matador women hold down two of the top four spots in the heptathlon while all four CSUN women are among the top-10. Junior Olympia Jewett is third through four events while senior Stephanie Hicks is fourth. The Matador quartet is rounded out by senior Jealinda Mills in ninth and freshman Emma Millard in 10th.

Jewett looked to be on pace to surpass her previous day one best (3,109) which she set at the 2012 Big West Championships. Jewett opened with a fifth-place in the 100 meter hurdles (14.69) before taking third in the high jump (5-3.75) and second in the shot put (36-8.50). But a 10th-place finish in the 200 meters (27.00) left her just short of her career-best with a first day total of 2,962.

Hicks, who was fifth in the heptathlon at the 2013 conference championships, got off to a solid start in the running events Friday. She finished second in the 100 meter hurdles (14.23) and fourth in the 200 meters (26.52) and was equally consistent in the other two events. The senior finished sixth in the high jump (5-0.25) and fourth in the shot put (32-7.75) to record a day one total of 2,879.

Only 66 points separate leader Danielle Littleton of UC Riverside (3,028) and Jewett while Hicks is just 149 points behind the day one leader.

With a day one total of 2,626, Mills is currently ninth and Millard has 2,576 points in her first full heptathlon. Mills finished as high as fifth in the high jump (5-1.25) while Millard was as high as sixth in the shot put (29-10.75).

"Two of the girls have put themselves in a position to score and two more are knocking on the door," said CSUN head coach Avery Anderson. "With our best day behind us in the heptathlon, we'll have to come out tomorrow and see if we can come away with some points."

In the decathlon, Grant Weiss got off to a specatular start in his first-ever full competition. Weiss opened by winning the 100 meters (11.17) and finishing second in the long jump (22-6.25). Weiss led the competition through two events with 1,604 points but had the shot put, high jump and 400 meters remaining.

The sophomore finished 11th in the shot (29-10), 10th in the high jump (5-3.75) and seventh in the 400 meters (52.60) to add 1,610 points to his tally as he finished day with in seventh place with 3,214 points.

Taylor Cudequest, who was ninth in 2013, is currently 10th with 3,098 points. The sophomore was seventh in the 100 meters (11.69), ninth in the long jump (19-8.25), ninth in the shot put (34-0.25), seventh in the high jump (5-8.50) and sixth in the 400 meters (52.28).

"We're inexperienced but our guys are fighting hard to come out with some points for the team," said Anderson. "I thought they performed really well given the circumstances with each of them. Taylor's coming off surgery and Grant is brand new to the decathlon. But this is conference and they know what it's about, stepping up for the team."

The decathlon opens the competition Saturday with the 110 meter hurdles, the first of five events, at 11 a.m. The heptathlon resumes at 1 p.m. with the long jump, the first of three events to wrap up the competition.